In recent years, hatred or instigation of discrimination has increased against foreigners, immigrants or various religious, ethnic and sexual minorities in different developed societies. Hate speech has more and more become a fatal problem to the social, cultural and political life of contemporary democracies. How should democratic societies respond to such persistent problem as well as to the broader forms of “othering” that motivate hate speech? How can we prevent it? It seems to us that neither the cause of nor cure for this pernicious phenomenon is well appreciated in the context of today’s globalized world. Societies in Europe and East Asia present ample occasions for examining the various dimensions of hate speech phenomenon. Many of the cases show that hate speech involves a complex web of historical injustices, economic inequalities, religious tensions, socio-political ideologies and emerging democratic challenges, as well as divergent legal constructions.

This project seeks to illuminate the national, regional and global dynamics of hate speech from diverse viewpoints that include the political, legal, historical, ideological and religio-cultural perspectives. To this end, it focuses on the cases of hate speech in the three countries of Korea, Japan and France. We will examine the contours of hate speech in the Korean, Japanese and French contexts; explore the historical, ideological or religio-cultural background of hate speech production and dissemination in each society that is globalized; and evaluate the cases and provide policy proposals from a human rights perspective. This research project is intended not only to show similarities in this global phenomenon observed beyond the political and geographical boundaries, but also to distinguish differences in the historical, legal and cultural foundation of each nation-state that cause and maintain the expression and structure of the discrimination. The comparative nature of this collaborative research will help fill in blind spots and lead to better informed and more sophisticated and practical recommendations for the prevention of hate speech in many Eastern and Western societies.

We invite paper proposals from different approaches such as communication, media studies, history, sociology, anthropology, political science, legal studies, religious studies that examine, but not restricted to, the following questions:

What are the current contours of hate speech in Korea, Japan and France?

How can we best respond to the challenges presented by hate speech in ways that promote a just and peaceful society?

What are alternative strategies for managing the public sphere against hate speech?

How is hate speech defined and delimited in law and public policy in the three societies?

What are the differences and similarities in the phenomenon of hate speech between Europe and East Asia?

What are the legal and discursive characteristics of Korea, Japan and France in dealing with hate speech?

What are the most urgent issues regarding hate speech in Korea, Japan and France?

How is mass media, especially the Internet, employed in expressing hatred against different minorities?

In what forms do ethnic, sexual or religious differences play a role in provoking hate speech in the three societies?

Why do ethnicity, sexuality or religion act as flashpoints in hate speech?

We are pleased to provide presenters with partial subsidies for accommodation and travel expenses depending on funding availability and on participant’s needs. We intend to publish selected papers from the workshop as a journal special issue and/or an edited volume with a reputable academic press. We also plan to hold the second workshop at Université Paris Diderot (Paris 7) in the second half of 2018.

GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSION

Deadline:Please submit your proposal with a title, an abstract of not more than 500 words and a list of references, together with your name, position, institutional affiliation and email address by June 30, 2017.

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